A Heavy Uplift
by Nathaniel D. McDrain
Summary: 4 months after rebuilding the New Moon Theater,Buster is holding an audition to complete the crew and bring them to the top. How will the journey progress?Is there any romance there at all? Rated M for language
1. Chapter 1:Crew Completion

It's been four months since the finished rebuilding of the Moon Theater,and it's been one hell of a ride for one enthusiastic koala.

Buster Moon was currently in his office preparing to hold a new audition to complete the current crew.

Johnny,Meena,Ash,Rosita and Gunther had all accepted the job offer Buster made them all shortly after the building was finished.

Meena being the youngest was worried that this would crash with her school since she had exams coming up and she needed her study time, but Buster was quick to ease her fears, and after a conversation with her parents and school, Meena happily accepted.

Johnny, living alone in the garage until his dad and uncles came out of prison was happy to gain a source of income to maintain the place and not get thrown out on the met with his dad as often as possible during visiting hours, and he never got tired of hearing how proud his old man was of him.

As for Big Daddy, as he calls himself,he had been contemplating what to do once he got out. He had promised Johnny that his life of crime was behind him. He thought about going back to being a simple car mechanic,but he wouldn't be allowed to do that unless he got a certified gave him the idea of going back to study for it, but he wouldn't limit himself to only cars,he'd go for every type of mundane source of transport there exists, from bikes,mopeds,heavy motorcycles to cars all the way up to buses and he convinced his brothers to do the same so that the family could work together at the in all, life was getting back on track for the gorillas.

As for Ash,she had gotten her old spunk back after the disaster with Lance and she was considered to be one of the greatest artists in town along with the rest of the Moon-Crew. She had changed her style a little,but not so much that she was unrecognizable. She was happy to finally contribute a bit more at the theater as well,having finished university with a mastery in sound engineering.

Rosita,being the busy-body mother of 25 piglets had gotten happier over the few months after the concert in the ruins. Her husband had finally opened his eyes to what his wife had been doing for months without him noticing. This lit a fire under his ass, and he had been more active at home with both the piglets and his wife.

Gunther,the dynamic pig had more or less been adopted by Rosita's kids as "Uncle Gunther", something that pleased him immensely, considering that he had no known family himself.

All in all,the crew was on the right track to be world-known superstars and Buster wowed to himself that he would be there when it happened.

"Yup,these guys are going to go far" Buster said to himself right before it knocked on the door and his faithful assistant,miss Crawley came in. "Good morning mister Moon" she said in her usually distracted,happy tone. "Good morning Miss Crawley" Buster said happily. "Are you ready for the new audition?" he asked. "Oh yes,there's a lot of animals outside. I have good feeling about this" she said. "Excellent,go downstairs and get everyone organized,and I will be with you shortly" Buster said. "Yes sir"the old reptile said as she left his office.

Just then the phone rang. "Moon Theater,this is Buster Moon" he said. "Hey Buster,how's everything going?" said the voice of Buster's life-long best friend,Eddie.

"Oh hey Eddie,everything's fine,we're about to start the auditions for the completion of the crew,so if you want to you're welcome to come to watch!" Buster said with huge smile. "Sounds good Buster,I'll see you then!" Eddie said as he hung up. "time to go to work" Buster said as he ran downstairs.

He arrived downstairs,and saw miss Crawley there with a megaphone in her hand. He took it from her, and said loudly: "Welcome everyone to today's audition! Now,if you will move to backstage,Miss Crawley will guide you there,and we'll see who will finish the roster of our prominent crew! Good luck people,I look forward to see you all!" Buster said before he ushered Miss Crawly ot guide the participants backstage. Just then,the doors opened again and Johnny,Ash, Rosita and Gunther arrived with Eddie,who had picked up almost everyone. "Hey guys,you here to see the prospects?" he said,his ever-present smile gleaming.

"Hey Moon,yeah,figured we'd check out the rookies to see if there's anyone we could all cooperate with" Ash replied with a small smirk present. "I'm always ready to look at new talents,but I need to get some coffee to wake up first,if that's alright?" the young gorilla asked. "I'll take the coffee run today Johnny,no problem,just go and sit down and I'll join you when I've gotten us all some coffee" Eddie said as he left and the crew joined Buster on first row to watch the participants.

Buster then yelled: "Miss Crawley,can you bring the first contestant please?" What came next was a slightly muscular red fox, dressed up in jeans,a black t-shirt,sneakers and a piercing in the middle of his right ear. "Good morning sir,and who are you?" Buster asked. "My name's Riley and I'm 22 years old"

"And what are you going to do for us today?" "well,I would say I'm decent both as a singer and as a rapper,so if it's okay I'll do a bit of both" he said as he gave a signal to miss Crawley to play the music.

 **(Linkin Park-A place for my head)**

I watch how the moon  
sits in the sky in the dark night  
Shining with the light from the sun  
And the sun doesn't give light to the moon assuming  
The moon's going to owe it one  
It makes me think of how you act to me  
You do Favors and then rapidly, you just  
Turn around and start asking me about  
Things you want back from me  
I'm sick of the tension, sick of the hunger  
Sick of you acting like I owe you this  
Find another place to feed your greed  
While I find a place to rest  
I want to be in another place  
I hate when you say you don't understand  
(You'll see it's not meant to be)  
I want to be in the energy, not with the enemy  
A place for my head

Maybe someday I'll be just like you and  
Step on people like you do and  
Run away the people I thought I knew  
I remember back then who you were  
You used to be calm used to be strong  
Used to be generous but you should've known  
That you'd Wear out your welcome now you see  
How quiet it is all alone  
I'm so Sick of the tension, sick of the hunger  
Sick of you acting like I owe you this  
Find another place to feed your greed  
While I find a place to rest  
I'm so Sick of the tension, sick of the hunger  
Sick of you acting like I owe you this  
Find another place to feed your greed  
While I find a place to rest

I want to be in another place  
I hate when you say you don't understand  
(You'll see it's not meant to be)  
I want to be in the energy, not with the enemy  
A place for my head

You try to take the best of me  
Go away  
You try to take the best of me  
Go away  
You try to take the best of me  
Go away  
You try to take the best of me  
Go away  
You try to take the best of me  
Go away  
You try to take the best of me  
Go away  
You try to take the best of me  
Go away  
You try to take the best of me  
Go away

I want to be in another place  
I hate when you say you don't understand  
(You'll see it's not meant to be)  
I want to be in the energy, not with the enemy  
A place for my head

Shut up

I'm so sick of the tension, sick of the hunger  
Sick of you acting like I owe you this  
Find another place to feed your greed  
While I find a place to rest

I'm so sick of the tension, sick of the hunger  
Sick of you acting like I owe you this  
Find another place, to feed your greed  
While I find a place to rest

By the time Riley had put down the microphone,everyone was blown away.

Buster was the first to respond. "Wow,thank you head back and get something to drink,and I'm sure we'll see you soon." he said with his biggest smile.

Riley smirked as he walked backstage.

There were several more contestants,but no one really stood apart from the crowd until a droopy Buster asked the next contestant to come forward. A female wolf forward,dressed in a tank top,camoflage cargo pants and sneakers and a ring in her nose. "Hello,what's your name?" Buster asked. "Hello,I'm Alice,and I'm 19 years old"the female wolf said. "So what are you going to do for us today?" "I'm gonna sing for you, I hope you like it" she said before giving miss Crawley the signal.

 **(Battle Beast-King for a Day)**

Welcome to the nightmare

Where Villains wear the crowns

Fools role a broken world

and fear grows all around

There's a bad King

a dreadful puppet on a string

He pretends to be a champion

of the common man

wants more division

in his lost and riven land

He plays with real lives

in the darkest game of life

His greedy eyes

look insane,frozen smile like he's in pain

He doesn't count

The human cost but only money made or lost

King for a day

He kills the truth and looks away

King for a day

lives like the world would end today

King for a day

What do you hide,why do you lie?

Who made the rules for this game?

Who is paying your champagne?

All the mercy in the world

cannot save you anymore

King for a day

He knows how to justify

and how to feed the myths

how to glorify

the lies and hide the truth

He talks a lot but

his mouth is full of empty words

He has the right friends

making shady inside deals

Before the story ends

we will be out of tears

Fools give the answers

wise men don't even try

The time has come

To dethrone him,but there's a new clone stepping in

Just more scum

another greedy,rotten puppet on a string

King for a day

He kills the truth and looks away

King for a day

lives like the world would end today

King for a day

What do you hide,why do you lie?

Who made the rules for this game?

Who is paying your champagne?

All the mercy in the world

cannot save you anymore

King for a day

"I own the seas

I have the Earth on its knees

Give me another day

and I'll take your future away

Just vote for me again"

King for a day

He kills the truth and looks away

King for a day

lives like the world would end today

King for a day

What do you hide,why do you lie?

Who made the rules for this game?

Who is paying your champagne?

All the mercy in the world

cannot save you anymore

King for a day

As Alice ended the song, there was a widespread range of emotions on the spectators; Buster,Rosita and Eddie had their jaws hanging,Johnny looked slightly fearful of her,Gunther had wide eyes and was shaking slightly. Ash on the other hand,was grinning madly, as if a mad plan had come to fruition. She then started clapping frantically and cheering: "You go,girl! That was fucking awesome!" her clapping and cheering brought the others out of their funk,and Buster was next to react.

"Uh,Wow. That was certainly you Alice,I'm sure we'll see you again soon" he said,never looking her in the eyes. She saw this however, and said: "I'm sorry mister Moon,but did my singing scare you?" Buster froze at that, and sighed. "I apologize for giving you that reaction,but I assure you that your singing didn't precisely scare me,rather just bring forth some unpleasant memories" here he looked at Alice and smiled. " You have a brilliant voice, and trust me,I'd love to bring it further, but for now,could you please bring out next contestant?" Buster asked,but then miss Crawley came out from backstage

"Um,Mister Moon,everyone else but two left, the fox that was out here first,and a suspicious-looking pitbull" just as she said that,said pitbull came out "Who are you calling suspicious-looking, ya old reptile?"

Buster cut in "Hello,and who might you be?" The pitbull replied: "My name's Vinnie,friends call me Vin. I'm here to audition. I'm a straight rapper,so that's what I'm gonna do" he said as miss Crawley walked backstage to put on the music.

 **(Linkin Park feat. Busta Rhymes-We made it)**

Together we made it  
We made it even though we had our backs up against the wall

See a nigga survived the worst, but my life is glorious (huh!)  
Better know that I leaped every hurdle and I'm so victorious (huh!)  
Take a look, I'm a symbol of greatness now call a nigga Morpheus (yeah)  
As force securin the win, better believe I'm so notorious (yeah)  
You know that I've been 'bout my bread even though we rappin now (and yes)  
We used to live on the strip even though a nigga higher level trappin now (oh!)  
Superceded every one of my little struggles and (huh!)  
Failure has never ever been an option (trust)  
A nigga paper long like rush hour traffic  
And I'm about to take the hood shoppin; get it!

Together we made it (you see we did it niggas!)  
We made it even though we had our backs up against the wall (c'mon)  
Forever we waited (ha ha!)  
And they told us we were never gonna get it  
But we took it on the road (to the riches) on the road (to the ghetto)  
On the rooooad (from the projects to this bangin instrumental)  
On the road (ride with me) on the road (we come to get it)  
On the rooooad (yeah, yeah, yeah!)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yo  
When it all got started we were steadily just gettin rejected  
And it seemed like nothin we could do would ever get us respected  
At best we were stressed, at the worst they probably said we're pathetic  
Had all the pieces to that puzzle, just the way to connect it  
I was fightin through every rhyme, tightenin up every line  
Never restin the question if I was out of my mind  
It finally came time to do it or let it die  
So we put the chips on the table and told 'em to let it ride  
Sing it, yeah!

Together we made it (you see we did it niggas!)  
We made it even though we had our backs up against the wall (c'mon)  
Forever we waited (ha ha!)  
And they told us we were never gonna get it  
But we took it on the road (to the riches) on the road (to the ghetto)  
On the rooooad (from the projects to this bangin instrumental)  
On the road (ride with me) on the road (we come to get it)  
On the rooooad (yeah, yeah, yeah!)

Look, in case you misunderstand exactly what I'm buildin  
Shit that I could leave for my children's (children's) children's (children)  
Now on my wake up I smile, to see how far I've come (yeah)  
Fightin for sales on a strip, to I gained the hustle from (yeah)  
From nights in jail on a bench, usin my muscles son (yeah)  
To countin money like Dre and Jimmy and Russell was (yeah nigga)  
But now I live when I dream, you see we finally did it (ohh!)  
Let's make a toast to the hustle regardless how you get it  
Sing it!

Together we made it (you see we did it niggas!)  
We made it even though we had our backs up against the wall (c'mon)  
Forever we waited (ha ha!)  
And they told us we were never gonna get it  
But we took it on the road (to the riches) on the road (to the ghetto)  
On the rooooad (from the projects to this bangin instrumental)  
On the road (ride with me) on the road (we come to get it)  
On the rooooad (yeah, yeah, yeah!)

As Vinnie ended the song,Buster and the rest was equally shocked that the dog could rap so well. Once again,it was Buster who started. "Well,okay then.I'm settled" he looked to his crew. "Are you guys settled?",getting a collective "Yeah!" in return, before he turned to Vinnie,Alice and Riley who had come out to see what's going on. "Congratulations you three!You're now a part of the Moon-Crew!",getting a smirk from Riley,A huge grin from Alice and a shocked look from Vinnie.

Buster saw this and said: "Don't be so shocked Vinnie, you are an excellent rapper,and I have a good feeling that we'll all be able to cooperate just fine together! Now,I want to make it an official welcome,by inviting everyone out for pizza! I'll deal with the paperwork for you three tomorrow. Johnny,how many people can your car take?" Buster asked. "Well,umm,four,I s'ppose,otherwise I would've taken us all"Johnny replied shyly.

Buster just waved him off. "That's fine,say Eddie,which car do you use today?" "I have the minibus today,which can hold the rest of us if Johnny takes Ash,Vinnie and Riley with him" the sheep replied. "Excellent idea Eddie,let's go folks!" Buster said as he led them out of the theater.


	2. Chapter 2: Backstories and Broken Hearts

**Well,this happened! Lol,I don't know how many people actually read the first chapter of this story,and frankly I don't really care xD Just kidding,I love everyone of my readers and reviewers,and I appreciate every comment I get(NO FLAMERS!) Lol,I have a lot of ideas for this story and I'll try to update as often as possible,It'll probably take most of my time away from my Naruto story. I am in NO WAY disbanding that story,I just need time to see what I'm going to do with it for now,so it's on a temporary hiatus. Anyway,Let's keep ourselves updated on the Moon-Crew,so ON WITH THE SHOW!**

Chapter 2: Backstories and broken hearts

The crew had arrived at a local pizza joint not far away from the Theater, and the staff had been all too happy to assemble a long table for the famous artists and soon enough everyone was eating, drinking and creating small- talk. Buster sat at the head, with Vinnie,Alice,Rosita and Eddie on his right side and Johnny,Riley,Gunther and Ash on his left. Buster turned to Vinnie and asked: "So, Vinnie, what made you start rapping?" vinnie looked down in silence for a moment before he said anything.

"I grew up in an orphanage that I found out closed down a few years ago that was on the other side of town. What can I say, I was a problem child, and I didn't make things easier for them,always did something wrong,from exchanging salt and sugar for the matrons tea to shoving potatoes in exhaust pipes. Anyway, I knew they didn't want me there,so I ran away at the age of 12. As you can see,I survived, but not without scars. I lived on the street for a while,started working. Taking little odd jobs here and there,my criteria was to not ask questions. Anyway, I was delivering a package a couple of years back when suddenly the cops were over me like mosquitoes to fresh blood. I was questioned on who I worked for and if I knew what the package contained. I wasn't prepared for that scenario,so I spilled out the information I had been given right then and there. What I didn't know was that the package contained several packs of TNT.I got a lesser verdict because I told the cops everything I knew,but I still ended up in the slammer for 4 years. Anyway, I got released earlier this year, and had nowhere to go,so I've been living with some random friends around town who were musicians,though their music was not to my taste. They then introduced me to rap and hiphop, which really got me going, and before I knew it,I was writing my own lyrics and performing for my friends,who told me that I should do it for a living. When I later saw your ad for a new audition,I figured 'Why not?I have nothing to lose', so I went,and the rest is history" he finished.

"Wow,that's quite the story you have,then again, neither one here will judge you for it, if you need to talk to someone,I'm at the theater every day,and everyone else will step by from time to time"Buster said, making Vinnie slowly smile and nod. Buster then turned to Riley. "What about you Riley? What made you come to audition? I gotta say,you have one powerful voice,and we could hear a lot of pain in the song you chose"he asked, making the fox go a little wide-eyed at being put on the spot like that.

"Umm,I'm not really comfortable with sharing my life with so many mammals at the time. If you want,I can talk to you in your office tomorrow morning?" Riley responded evasively.

Buster nodded and said: "That's alright Riley,you don't have to share anything you're not comfortable with, but trust me, if you need to talk to someone, everyone here is available. We have little to nothing else to do, with a couple exceptions of course,but any of us are always available" Buster said,gesturing to the crew who all smiled and nodded. Then Buster said: "And last but not the least,Alice. Care to tell us what made you want to audition?"

Alice smiled softly and said. "Sure. I moved out when I was 16 to move in with my boyfriend. At that time,neither of us had any plans for the future. As soon as my plans of becoming a musician reached his ears,he attacked me. I wound up in the hospital, and when I told the police what happened,they locked him up. He got 10 years in jail for heavy assault. Thankfully,I haven't heard from him since,and I have kept my address in this town a secret from everyone,including my parents. When they heard what happened,they understood why I haven't said anything. My mom was proud of my ambition, and my dad offered all his support if I ever need it. When I saw your advert,I had been out of a job for a couple weeks,so I figured I could give it a try. I am very happy that worked out" she said with a smile, which Buster returned.

"So am I, I mean,we have gotten three new fantastic voices, and I would love to have you steal the stage during our next concert" He said, as he looked at all the others. "Speaking of which, Have the rest of you figured out which songs to do yet?" he asked. Johnny raised his hand. "I had an idea,but with these new additions,I would rather find some songs we could collaborate on" he said. "Great idea Johnny,we'll talk about that a bit more tomorrow. Now,everyone, enjoy the rest of the food,I'll go and deal with the bill this time" Buster said as he bounced of his seat and walked over to the cashier. Alice turned to Rosita and asked: "Is he always like that? So energetic and optimistic,I mean?" Rosita looked at the young wolf and said: "Most often,yes,however I see that as a good thing. We have seen Buster Moon at the worst. You heard about the old theater collapsing,correct?" she asked,getting a nod in return.

Rosita continued: "After the collapse,and a bit of talking, we decided to try and cheer Mr. Moon up, trying to focus on the positive things, like the fact that no-one died. We found out from Miss Crawley that he had been squatting at Eddie's pool-house,so we all went there. What we found there...It was not the Buster Moon we thought we knew. He was angry,bitter,but most of all,he was depressed and said he was done. We all tried to talk to him,but he just closed the door on us.

Trust me,pray that you will never see him the way we did,because the sight will be enough to break your heart." Rosita said,getting nods from everyone who had been there. Alice,Riley and Vinnie all had wide eyes. Vinnie looked over at the koala by the register and said: "Kinda hard trying to imagine that little guy so depressed, especially seeing how he acts now,so open and friendly", getting nods from everyone. Rosita then looked at her watch "Oh my,is that the time already? I need to go,Norman and the kids are waiting for me at home"she said as she stood and got her things. "Need a lift,Rosita?" Johnny asked as he made to get up,but Rosita waved him down. "No thanks Johnny,I don't live too far away from here,it's just around the corner, but I'll see you all tomorrow" she said as she left. Just as she left,Buster came back to the table. "Where'd Rosita go?" he asked. "She went home,and I think we should do the same,seeing the time" Eddie said,showing his watch to Buster.

The grey koala got wide eyes and said: "Alright people let's get going,we have a lot to do tomorrow!" he said as he grabbed his jacket and left. Eddie turned to Vinnie,Ash,Riley and Alice. "Do you guys need a lift?" he asked,getting an affirmative from the pitbull and wolf. The fox on the other hand, stood unresponsive. Ash noticed and gently tapped his elbow,making him jump slightly. "What?" he asked,slightly distracted. "Eddie just asked if you need a lift home"she said with a small smile. Riley looked at Eddie and nodded gratefully. "Do you need a ride home Ash?" Johnny asked from behind her,making her jump a little. "Yeah,that would be nice,thanks big guy" she said,grabbing her jacket and guitar and walking out,Johnny following her.

As they got into the old truck and started driving,Johnny asked Ash: "So, what do you think of our new members?" Ash went quiet for a minute before responding: "They look like a good bunch,they're certainly talented enough,and I'd love to see what kind of collaborations we can come up with. I'm sure our next shows will blow the audience's minds with these talents!" she said, getting more pumped up at the end of her sentence. The young gorilla nodded as he said: "I know,I'm excited to see that myself. I think I have a few old rock and metal albums at home,my dad brought them with when we moved here from Birmingham,it would be interesting to see what they think?" He mused. Ash snorted. "You listen to metal Johnny? I thought you only listened to pop,soul and R'n'B?" she said as she looked at him oddly. "Well,yeah,it's what I listen to mostly,but I've realized that rock and metal is excellent music to listen to while working out" he said as he turned the car into the street where Ash lived. "Ah,well,I guess I can't really fault that logic" she said as they pulled up in front of her apartment. "Well,this is me" she said as she opened the door. "Alright Ash,take care,eh?If there's anything,just call me,kay?" Johnny said, making Ash nod as she closed the door and Johnny drove away.


	3. Chapter 3: Crushes and Complications

**Alright people! I'm back with another installment of A Heavy Uplift! As you might all notice,the story's a little slow-going now,but I hope to bring up the speed of it a little with some chapters not(too far away). Anyway,I hope you like it, if you do/don't, please review! I'm always eager to hear from you people!**

 **Now,ON WITH THE SHOW!**

Chapter 3: Crushes and complications

Ash PoV:

As Ash entered her apartment,she started thinking back on her life. She had grown up in an orphanage,and at the age of 16, she had moved in with Lance as soon as she graduated from school. As much as she would like it to be otherwise,she had unintentionally become more of a maid to Lance than a girlfriend.

The guy was a slob,never cleaning up after himself,whether it be dishes or clothes, which left Ash with all the work and as he refused to take a job,preferring to focus on his "music", she also had to make sure they had an income to pay for the bills. How she survived for as long as she did she would never know, but when she got picked over Lance after Busters first audition,he had more or less just thrown her away.

After she caught him with his new "plaything" Ash had snapped and thrown his ass out on the the concert in the ruins and receiving Busters job offer,Ash had decided to take it one step further,checking in with the local music university to see if she could get a quick degree in short time for "job reasons" as she called it. Luckily for her,she did, and three months hard work later,Ash finally had her masters degree in sound engineering,which managed to help her get a pay raise at the theater.

What Ash had on her mind now however, was something not work-related, rather something more personal. In the month after the collapse of the theater and Ash had caught Lance with Becky, Ash had to admit to herself that Becky was very attractive,but her attitude was a big turn-off. As the month proceeded,Ash started paying attention to other females she met, without knowing why until she had almost finished her degree.

 _ **FLASHBACK:**_

 _As Ash was working on her assignment at the university one day,she got a visit from a girl from her class called Freema. Freema was a young,beautiful Vixen who had the same classes as Ash. "Hey Ash" she said. "Hey Freema,what's up?" Ash said as she tuned her guitar to fit her style. "Nothing,I was just wondering if I could ask you a question?" Freema said as she sat down next to Ash. "Sure,go ahead"Ash said as she put her guitar down and turned to her (arguably) first female friend. "Are you lesbian?" Freema asked,shocking Ash. "What? Where did that come from?" Ash said as she looked at Freema,making the young vixen raise her paws in a placating manner. "Whoa,relax Ash,I was just asking. The reason why is because I've seen you look at other women around the school as well as outside of it. I know you said you had a boyfriend,so I got a little confused,that's all" Freema said as she stood up. "Oh sorry about that" Ash said,a little then looked down. "You know; I honestly don't know myself anymore.I still notice cute guys as well,so I don't think I'm completely lesbian.I think the closest I could think of were to be if I may be bisexual at least" she said as she looked back up at her friend. Freema smiled. "That sounds accurate to me. I'm proud of you for figuring it out yourself Ash,and I'm proud to call myself your friend" Freema said as she hugged Ash,making Ash blush a little as she hugged Freema back. "Thanks Freema and thanks for helping me figuring yourself out.I would appreciate it if you kept it quiet until I feel safe enough to tell people myself" Ash said,making the young vixen nod. "Sure,no problem,what are friends for,right?" she said with a smile as she stood up and walked out of the room,leaving Ash alone with her assignment._

 _ **FLASHBACK END!**_

Since then,Ash had only told one other person of her personal discovery, namely Johnny. The young gorilla had been a close friend of Ash since the collapse of the old Moon theater, neither of the two being very happy to be alone. This had led to quite a few nights featuring take-out dinners and movies in the couch of either one's place. It had been a common thought among the rest of the moon-crew that the two would end up a couple,but they had both been adamant of just being best friends and remaining like that.

Since then,Ash had gradually come to terms with herself being bisexual to the degree that she felt more confident both as a mammal and as a musician,and she had contemplated telling the rest of the Moon-Crew about this,knowing that none of the members would ever give her grief about it. Now however,she was more unsure of herself. With three new mammals in the crew,none of which she knew as well as she did the original crew, she wasn't sure what to think,which made her wonder of what she knew about the rest of the gang.

That train of thought stopped as soon as it started when it dawned on her:She knew close to nothing about her co-workers. Sure,she knew the basics, but nothing about their backstories, aside from Johnny's and Vinnie s and partially Alice's, as the two latter had told their stories just earlier that night. _'Well, we'll see what the future brings,eh?'_ Ash thought to herself as she made herself a cup of coffee. She'd deny it any day, but watching the auditions,specifically Alice's, had excited Ash in more ways than one.

Ash had never heard such a raw voice with so much force and passion in it as what Alice possessed, and a thousand thoughts started going through her head, both work-related and personal.

The first thing Ash noticed with Alice,aside from her voice,was a sense of fear and apprehension of not being accepted. Other than that,her silvery blue eyes showed her emotions. Ash recognized them,for she was the same. Alice's eyes had a look that said: "I have nothing left to lose,so come at me".

This told Ash that she will have a way to go before Alice would trust her fully. The more she thought about it,the more she found it acceptable. _'I'll wait for as long as possible,I have a feeling she'd be worth it'_ Ash thought as she finished her coffee and went to bed, awaiting the next day.

 **The Next Day (Normal PoV):**

Buster had just gotten started on his work when a knock on the door startled him slightly. "Come in" he said as he finished up the papers he was working on and saw Riley standing there, looking slightly nervous. "Is this a bad time,Mr. Moon?" he asked as he turned to leave before Buster said: "No,no, it's not a bad time Riley,I just didn't expect you here so early, now what can I do for you?" Buster said as he motioned for Riley to sit on the couch he had alongside the wall opposite his desk. Riley sat down and swallowed hard. "Well, you wanted to hear why I decided to audition,right? Well, to get into that,I'm going to have to introduce myself properly to you. My Full name is Riley Robbins III, son of Thomas R. Robbins, founder and CEO of Robbins's Reavers, the famous shoe producer" he said, getting wide eyes from Buster. "Wait,what? I thought his son was imprisoned for life?" Buster asked, getting a snort from the red fox. "Right,I bet he probably said I killed someone as well,right?" Riley asked rhetorically.

"The truth is,yes, I was imprisoned, but my sentence was only for 6 years, and the crime was burglary" he said with a sigh. He looked at Buster again before speaking. "My mother died in childbirth. My father hated me for it, and never bothered to hide it. He still pressured me into achieving my best at school, which I did, gaining valedictorian and everything. It still wasn't enough to please him. His pride was his company,so I wanted to teach him a lesson when I turned 16,after completing school. I got help from a semi-criminal friend of mine who knew how to pick locks,both old and new, and he helped me break in to my father's office.

I didn't know what I was looking for,so because of my fumbling around,I got busted by the cops and brought outside because we had forgot about the silent alarm system. My friend bailed before he could get caught,so I was left to take the ,outside the factory,the cops had already called my dad, and when I saw his face,I saw it go from horrified to judgemental in a second, and he said nothing to me as he told the cops to take me away. He never showed up in court when my sentence was passed, he didn't make sure I had a lawyer or anything. Well,life in prison wasn't too bad, not that I would want to go back of course,but still. While I was in prison,I got to meet some interesting fellas who were like myself; young,dumb and stupidly tossed in jail.

Anyway,to pass the time, the guys used music to cheer themselves and others up,and it didn't take long before I joined them. To make things interesting, we would sometimes challenge each others on different genres, to see who were the best. That's where I learned to love music,and after the first two years in there,I didn't know how I ever lived without it. I sought out ways to get an education as a sound technician in prison,and got a masters degree in it only last year. Anyway,when I came out of prison,I had nowhere to go; my dad had officially disowned me and my friends wanted nothing to do with me as I was labeled a criminal. I've been living of the streets for the past 4 months, and when I saw your ad,I knew this was my chance to make something for is my only chance to make something for myself" Riley finished quietly as he looked down.

Busters mind went a million miles a minute. He looked at the downtrodden fox before making up his mind. " be told,your father's an idiot. And if there's one thing I refuse to stand for,it's blaming people for things out of their control. You have an incredible talent, and I would like for nothing more than to shove that in your father's face. You have the potential to become a superstar,and I'd love to be the one to guide you to the top" Buster stated as he looked at the shocked fox with a huge smile. Riley was beside himself. He had just told his boss of his past,and Buster had literately just said: Fuck the past,this is the present!

Riley grinned as he grabbed the koala into a fierce hug. "Thank you so much for this chance,Mr. Moon, I promise you won't regret it!" he said before putting Buster to the ground gently.

Buster grinned as he shook the fox's paw. "I know I won't, but trust you me,I will not be the only one supporting you here. There are others around here who have similar pasts,and neither of them are the slightest judgemental towards others,no matter what" the small koala replied as he ushered the still excited Riley out of his office before sitting back down behind his desk, his mind whirring. The Revelation about Riley made Buster think about what he knew about the rest of his crew. Then he stopped as he realized: He knew NOTHING! Sure,he knew the basics of everybody's past and present,but he couldn't truly said that he knew them on a more personal level. "That is going to change today" Buster said to himself as he prepared to go downstairs to greet the crew.


	4. Chapter 4: Past,Presents and Future

**Hello and welcome to the longest chapter so far in this story. I had a few problems writing this to begin with, but I think I overcame those problems, and I have to say,I'm happy with the result! Now,I'll leave you to enjoy this latest chapter, so without further ado...**

 **ON WITH THE SHOW!**

Chapter 4: Past,Present and Future

As Buster came down the stairs from his office,he saw Ash,Johnny and Rosita standing in the bottom, talking to each other. As he came closer he said: "Good morning everyone, is everything okay?" Rosita turned towards him with a smile. "Good morning mr. Moon, yes, everything's fine, we were just talking as a few of us have noticed that neither of us know each other as well as we probably should, so we were thinking of rectifying that" she said, Ash and Johnny nodding behind her. "Excellent idea Rosita, let's call everyone to your rehearsal room so we can get proper introductions"Buster said as he ran along to gather the rest of the crew minus Meena since she had a day off because of school, leaving Rosita,Ash and Johnny there with mouths agape for a minute before Ash spoke. "Well,that went easier than expected,I thought he would have to think about it first" she said,Johnny and Rosita nodded in agreement before Rosita said: "Well,

I better go find Gunther and tell him to dress up,wouldn't want him to scare the newcomers with his outfits" as she walked away, leaving just Johnny and Ash. "So, are you going to tell 'em everything?" Johnny asked as he looked to his best looked to the floor for a second before she looked back at him. "I guess I should,I mean that's the whole point of this gathering, ain't it?" she said. Johnny nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and no matter what, you know I'll have your back,right?" he said as he walked towards the stage, leaving Ash alone. She looked after her big friend as she muttered: "Yeah,I know" before walking to her rehearsal room to fetch her guitar.

20 minutes later found everyone in Gunther and Rosita's rehearsal rooms.

Buster started: "Okay,I know this meeting was kinda rushed and everything, but as I had it pointed out to me, we know next to nothing about each other, and I would like to rectify that. After all, this crew is like a family, and we need to be able to trust each other, and what better way to do that than to have a proper introduction? I'll go first. My name is Buster Filius Moon. I am 36 years old. I've been wanting to get into the theater buisness since I was 6 years old. My dad worked at the car wash for 30 years to help me buy this theater, which I managed to do 3 years ago. However I failed to pay the crew from the last two shows I had, which is why I had the idea to host the failure of a singing competition. After the collapse of the old theater, I ended up in a depression, and I'm ashamed to say that I turned my aggressive side of that on some of you. I'm still surprised that you guys would forgive me and come back for the concert in the ruins after the stunt with the aquarium stage.I'm also extremely grateful for each and every one of you being here today,as without you I would have to sell the property and take a job washing cars as my dad did before me,gods rest his soul. Anyway, that's about it about me, so who volunteers to be next?" he finished.

To everyone's surprise, Ash was the first one who raised her hand.

" I guess I can go. You all call me Ash,but my full name,as much as I hate it, is Ashley Rosalyn Turner. I am 22 years old. My family's rather famous and has been for at least 2 generations, and they wanted me to join them in that spotlight. When I told them that I'd rather be famous on my own terms instead of theirs, they disowned me and threw me out when I was 15. I met Lance in college when I was 16. He didn't care about my name or my family, and I was grateful to him for that. We were together for 6 years until I threw his ass out a few months back. Since then, and since I got my mastery, I've discovered something new about myself." This was it for Ash,she was nervous, but she steeled her nerves and did like a band-aid. "I am bisexual. It was a big discovery for me, and the only one who knows is my best friend next to me" she said as she pointed to Johnny. "For that I'll always be grateful, since he never made a joke about it,and has had my back since then. This crew is more of a family than my biological one is,and I'm proud to call you that" she said as she turned to Johnny, who hugged her and turned his head to look at everyone as if to say _I dare you to say anything demeaning to her before I crush your skull_.

Buster carefully walked over to them and looked at Johnny, who looked back at Ash and relented,releasing her. Buster then hugged her and whispered to her: "I'm so proud of you,and I promise to be here for you whenever you may need it,'kay?" he said as he pulled back with a small smile. Ash looked at him in shock before smiling back and giving him a small nod in return.

Buster then looked around before turning to Johnny and asked: "Johnny,would you like to go next?" The young gorilla was momentarily shocked for a second before calming down and nodded.

"Yeah,might as well, I s'pose. My name's Jonathan Tier. I am 18 years old. I moved with my family from the UK when I was 3 years old. My family was then my mum,dad and my two uncles. When I was 12 my mum got diagnosed with a brain tumor and died a year after. Until then, my dad and uncles had run a garage called Tier's tyres, but once my mum had passed and dad's garage had lost a lot of their clients,money wasn't enough to afford both our home and the garage,so dad sold the house we had and we lived in the garage from then that,dad was desperate to find income somewhere,so he turned to crime and dragged both my uncles and me with him.

I didn't have a choice in the matter,I didn't want to get thrown out by my dad at 13.I guess karma made my dad pay from his latest stunt,even if I had a part to blame. The day the theater fell was the day my dad and uncles got arrested, because I was supposed to be the getaway driver. When I next saw him in prison, I tried telling him that I didn't want to be a part of his gang,but that I wanted to be a singer. He got so mad and more or less disowned me on the spot. During the concert in the ruins, he broke out of prison just to find me and tell me he was proud of me. He's still in with my uncles,but they're all working on getting licensed to deal with cars and the like again,so I hope that they're all succeeding in that while I'm going to do all I can to help them once they come out of jail. My dad no longer has a problem with my music career, and I'm not going to disturb him while he's working. I guess I'm just happy that everything seems to go the right way for our family again" Johnny said with a small smile.

Most of the crew,including Buster,Ms. Crawley and Eddie, had their mouths agape. The first to react however, was Rosita who had stood up from her place, walked over to Johnny and give him a hug. "Oh Johnny,I'm so sorry about your mother, that must have been awful for you. I know I don't know what I'd do if I lost one of my children or Norman for that matters" she said,sniffling slightly. Johnny patted Rosita gently on the back with a small smile "It's okay Rosita. I might've lost one,but I still have my dad and uncles. And you guys, of course" he said as he looked around at the crew, who smiled back at him, including a smirking Riley, a shocked Vinnie and a slightly tearful Alice.

"Well said Johnny. I am very proud to have such a wise young man under my employ,and don't let anyone tell you different, for this is truth that I speak or my name is not Buster Filius Moon!" Buster said as he looked directly into Johnny's shocked eyes. He then turned around and said: "Okay,now that Johnny and Ash has properly introduced themselves,how about you Gunther?" "Oh ya,I'm happy to do so Mr. Moon. My name is Gunther Schwartz, I am 36 years old. I came here from Germany at the age of 16 in search of fame and fortune. I am very passionate about my dancing and am happy that I surely is getting what I came here for almost 20 years ago. My dancing is not merely a hobby. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 10,and my parents suggested it to me as it could keep my energy at home on a low scale. My decision to come here at 16 was supported fully by my mothzer, however my father was very reluctant to let me go, but he was convinzed by my mother. Even if the distance between here and home is great, I still keep in touch with them, and I had a friend of mine from home teach them how to SKYPE,so I can talk with them every week. I am trying to convinze them to come here and zee one of our shows, so that they can see how good zheir son has become with his passion." Gunther finished.

"Very nice Gunther, and I hope you manage to convince them, considering we have a huge event coming up in a few weeks" Buster said with a smug grin.

"What are you talking about Buster? What event?" Eddie asked. Buster got a full grin as he said: "Why,it's Christmas soon,isn't it? Seems like a perfect season to give the crowds a full view of our newfound talents,I'd say!" Buster exclaimed happily, making Eddie go pale. "Oh gods,how could I forget Christmas? That's going to drive Nana up the wall" he moaned. Buster ignored him as Vinnie spoke up. "Excuse me,but I don't really have any Christmas-friendly songs in my repertoire,so I'm not sure what to do" he said nervously. Buster smiled at him. "No worries, I'll leave that to our resident pianist to help you" Buster said as he pointed to Johnny, who smiled and nodded. "Sure,I'd be happy to help ya Vinnie" he said as he gestured for Vinnie to sit next to him and Ash,so they could discuss quietly.

"Now, I believe Rosita is next,unless someone else wants to?" Buster said as he looked around. Rosita smiled.

"It's fine Mr. Moon. My name is Rosita Gustaffson. I'm 28 years old. I'm happily married to my Norman, who I met when we were 16. my family is originally from Spain, and my last name used to be Hernandez until I married. I met Norman when he was on a holiday in my hometown,and I was a waitress on a restaurant he visited. He immediately started flirting with me,something that was a regular occurrence at that restaurant and among the more drunken guests. It took him showing up at my door at home to make me understand that he was serious about wanting to be with me. We married when we were 20,and our kids came later that year. I took on the role of housewife and mom happily,but when I saw the flyer for the competition,I couldn't help it, singing had been my biggest dream when I was younger, and I owed my younger self to at least give it a chance,something I am very happy that worked out" she said with a smile.

"Excellent Rosita. Do any of you have anything else that we might want to know about either of you?" Buster said as he looked at Alice,Vinnie and Riley. Vinnie and Riley both shook their heads, but Alice said: "There is perhaps one thing. You see, after what happened with my last boyfriend, I had more or less a revelation that I wasn't supposed to be with a guy. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I turned lesbian."she finished,looking nervously to the ground. Ash took the hint, walked over to Alice,grabbed her paw and looked into her eyes. "If you need someone to talk to, you don't have to look far" she said as she smiled at the female wolf, who slowly started to smile back.

Buster smiled at the interaction. He never would've thought that he'd ever have such a close and talented crew. "Alright,then it seems that's the end of this little get-together, now, we have one hell of a Christmas show to plan!" He said,smiling at everyone before moving back up to his office with Eddie and Ms. Crawley in tow as everyone else went to their rehearsal rooms.

"So,Eddie,what do you think about the group?" Buster asked as the two closed the door to his office. The sheep sat down on the new couch that was sat by the wall opposite the desk before replying. "I think they'll do great, but it all comes down to how the Christmas show goes. I think we'd have more local support if the public got to know the crew a bit more" he said as he leaned back on the couch. Buster's eyes lit up. "That's it! Eddie, you're a genius!" he exclaimed, making the sheep look confused as to what it was that was so genius. Buster leaned back in his chair with a grin on his face. "Tell me,old friend, How does **Past,Present and Future; Our lives in song!** Sound like as the theme for our little holiday performance?" he elaborated,making Eddies eyes light up before answering with a grin of his own. "It sounds fantastic,my old friend, will you participate yourself?" Eddie asked in the same posh figure of speech his Nana was so famous for. "You know what? I think I might" Buster said in the same tone before walking down to gather the crew once again, Eddie following right behind.

 **With Ash and Johnny:** "So, the introductions went well I think" Johnny said to Ash as the two got back to their shared rehearsal room,making Ash nod. "Yeah,I think so too. I'm happy everyone took it so well,I was freaking nervous about it" she said,making Johnny nod as he sat down by his piano. " I know you were,and I'm extremely proud of you for going through with it. I know had it been me,I'd never been able to admit it to anyone else" he said before getting up. "I'm just gonna go to get something to drink, you want any?" he asked Ash. The female porcupine thought for a second before answering. "Yeah, a soda of some kind would be nice" she said as the gorilla nodded,grabbed his jacket and waved on his way out.

 **Rosita and Gunther:** "So, introductions went well,I'd zay" Gunther said as he started to do some stretches. Rosita nodded. "Yeah, they did, better than I expected really. I have to say though,I could never imagine that such a nice boy like Johnny had such a tragic past,or that Ash came out as bisexual,I am so proud of them both for overcoming such obstacles as they've had.I'm glad everything is going on the right track for them now" she said as she started with her stretches as well. Gunther just nodded as the two continued their routine.

 **Vinnie,Riley and Alice:**

"So,you're lesbian,huh?" Vinnie said awkwardly as he looked at Alice, who simply nodded. "Yeah,I am, you got a problem with that?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes at him slightly. Vinnie noticed and quickly waved his paws in front of him as he said: "No,not at all. Quite the contrary, it takes guts to say it so upfront,I guess I was just a little surprised that you were willing to say it so easily in front of more or less complete strangers" he said, which calmed her down. Riley added: "I'll admit I was surprised,but I'm not bothered by it. If anything,I'll gladly back you up if anyone ever gives you crap" He finished with his now famous smirk. "I'll be glad to back you up as well" Vinnie said earnestly, making Alice smile. "Thanks guys,I'm grateful for that" she said before adding: "Hey Riley, you know any good christmas songs? I'm trying to think of some for the show" Riley thought for a moment before saying: "Well, I do know a few for almost every occasion. What do you have in mind?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "I wanna see if we can improvise something,just sing something and I'll try to jump in where I can,okay?" she said as he nodded before starting to sing.

 **(Original: The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl-Fairytale of New York)**

It was Christmas Eve babe  
In the drunk tank  
An old man said to me, won't see another one  
And then he sang a song  
The Rare Old Mountain Dew  
I turned my face away  
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one  
Came in eighteen to one  
I've got a feeling  
This year's for me and you  
So happy Christmas  
I love you baby  
I can see a better time  
When all our dreams come true

This was where Alice jumped in and sang while she looked at Riley:

They've got cars big as bars  
They've got rivers of gold  
But the wind goes right through you  
It's no place for the old  
When you first took my hand  
On a cold Christmas Eve  
You promised me  
Broadway was waiting for me

Suddenly they sang together:

You were handsome  
You were pretty  
Queen of New York City  
When the band finished playing  
They howled out for more  
Sinatra was swinging,  
All the drunks they were singing  
We kissed on a corner  
Then danced through the night

The boys of the NYPD choir  
Were singing "Galway Bay"  
And the bells were ringing out  
For Christmas day

You're a bum  
You're a punk  
You're an old slut on junk  
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed  
You scumbag, you maggot  
You cheap lousy faggot  
Happy Christmas your arse  
I pray God it's our last

The boys of the NYPD choir  
Still singing "Galway Bay"  
And the bells were ringing out  
For Christmas day

I could have been someone  
Well so could anyone  
You took my dreams from me  
When I first found you  
I kept them with me babe  
I put them with my own  
Can't make it all alone  
I've built my dreams around you

The boys of the NYPD choir  
Still singing "Galway Bay"  
And the bells are ringing out  
For Christmas day

As they ended the song,they suddenly noticed that they had more audience than just Vinnie as Buster,Eddie,Rosita,Gunther and Ash all stood there with mouths agape. "Eh,Hi guys?" Alice said. "That was brilliant! You two filled each other perfect on that song, we need that in our show!" Buster exclaimed, making Alice blush and Riley smile nervously. "You really think so?" Alice asked a little shakily.

"Think so? I know so! That's definitely the opening act for the show!" Buster exclaimed with a grin before Eddie nudged him. "What? Oh yeah,we have an official title for the show. What do you all think of **Past,Presents and Future:Our lives in song!** As the official title?" there was a small silence before a voice said: "I think it sounds like an excellent idea." They all turned around to see none other than Nana Noodleman standing there. Buster grinned. "I am happy you approve Nana, let me introduce our three new talents, this is Riley,Vinnie and Alice, guys, this is our official sponsor and the owner of this theatre, the famous Nana Noodleman" Buster said as he gestured to each of the new ones. Nana nodded.

"I am pleased you managed to fill the crew. My nephew spoke quite highly of each of you after your auditions" she said, shocked that the famous sheep had heard of them. She looked at them and said: "I make it my duty to know everything about the people I work with, so nothing here is a secret to me. I know all about your pasts and I'm pleased to inform you that I have not found anything I could call incriminating on either of you three". Riley swallowed hard,but no one but Nana noticed, but she did not call him out on it. Instead she smiled at the crew as a whole before saying: "I will personally attend the holiday show premiere,so I expect each of you to do your best. Mr. Moon mentioned the title of the show, and here is my idea to that: Each of you pick your favorite three songs from any time period of your lives, and I will hire someone to film an interview with each of you,Including you, Buster Filius Moon, and you better be singing on at least three of the songs that you will played or so help me!" she said strongly as she glared at him,making him shrink a little where he stood.

"O-Of course Nana, I was planning on doing so anyway. You just let us know when we can expect the camera crew and we'll all collaborate, right guys?" he asked as he looked around and got nods from all, including the newly arrived Johnny. Buster then turned back to Nana with a grin. "You will have our full collaboration miss Noodleman" he said as he bowed as theatrically as he could. Nana smirked. "I have nothing to fear then. I will leave you to begin preparations. Good luck everyone" she said as she turned around and left. As soon as she was out of earshot,Eddie said: "I'm turning grey before my 30th because of her,I swear"


	5. Chapter 5:Publicity and picking songs

Chapter 5:Publicity and Picking songs

The next day Buster sat in his office,doing nothing more than to go through his playlists on his computer as he mulled Nana's suggestion over in his head. "I have heard so many songs,how should I just pick 3?" he asked himself as he stared at the screen. "Well,you could take songs from the first concerts you went to,etc...as an example" came Ash's voice from the doorway. "Oh hey Ash,everything okay?" Buster asked as he looked up to see Ash stand in the doorway with her sunglasses on. "No,not really. I need to talk to someone,but I can't tell Johnny,he'll go on a killing spree" she said as she sat down on the couch. Buster frowned and walked over at sat next to her. "What happened Ash?" he asked. She took off her sunglasses and turned towards Buster. Ash was sporting a big black eye and several small scratches on her face. "Ah,I see" he said,his anger visible in his eyes. "Who did it?your crap of an ex?" he asked,only getting a nod in return. "And his shitstain of a girlfriend,they managed to ambush me on my way home last night. I wasn't riding with Johnny because I said I didn't want to grow lazy and it was a nice night to walk on.I obviously regret that now" she said. "I see" was all Buster said as he walked over to his desk and picked up his phone. "What are you doing?" Ash asked.

"Calling the police,no employee of mine should suffer for this kind of shit!" Buster said before dialing the number to the police station. "Hello,this is Buster Moon of the New Moon Theater. I have an employee here with a black eye and several scratches in her face that was assaulted last night,could you please send someone over?...Thank you,bye" he said before he put the phone down. He then sat down next to Ash and said: "They'll be here in about 10 minutes,do you need anything?" he asked her,concerned. "An icepack for my eye would be nice,thanks" she said,getting a nod in return before Buster left his office to get an icepack.

10 minutes later:

"Thank you for responding so quickly,officer,I really appreciate it" Buster told the fox that showed up. "It's a pleasure, ,now,where is the victim?" the officer asked as they walked up to Buster's office. "She's in here" Buster said as he opened the door to his office and led the fox inside. Ash still sat on the couch,holding an icepack over her eye. She stood up as the fox officer came in. "Ms. Turner,my name is officer Nicholas Wilde, can you please tell me of what happened yesterday?" Ash nodded,sat down and told the officer everything she had told Buster. When she was finished,the officer said: "I see.I can guarantee at least a year in prison and a restriction order for each of them,but they may be released earlier if they behave. The restriction order will guarantee another 5 years in prison if broken by either of them". Ash couldn't believe it,she would finally get Lance out of her life permanently. She smiled and nodded when the policeman asked if she'd be willing to testify against them in court, and with that the officer left. Ash turned to Buster and said: "Thanks Buster. This will make it easier to subdue Johnny as well, he won't kill Lance if he knows that Lance is heading to jail". Buster nodded and smiled. "I know. Johnny has quite the temper when it comes to the important people in his life,and I can respect that,but it would be bad publicity if one of our own got landed in jail because of something that can be handled differently" he said. Just then Johnny ran into the office. "Is everything okay,Buster?I saw the policecar drive away just now" he said before he laid his eyes on Ash,and his expression changed from worried to bloody murder. "I see"he said,rather tightlipped. Ash walked over to him and laid a paw on his arm. "It's okay,big guy. The prick and his skank are getting what they deserve" she said before telling him the full story of everything that has happened. When she was done Buster spoke up. "I handled everything with the police before you could have the chance to do something you would've regretted Johnny, I know how much Ash means to you,and trust me,I was very tempted to do the very same thing you would've done. I called the police instead of taking the law into my own hands,which makes sure that no one else from this theater gets dragged into this mess" Buster said slowly and continued: "I have sworn that this theater shall not have any negative publicity,and that is what taking the law into our own hands would've done". Johnny looked down and took a few deep breaths. He then looked Buster in the eyes. "I understand Buster,thank you. I told you,everyone here is part of my family, and I would've done the same for anyone of you" Johnny said. Buster smiled. "I know,Johnny,and so would I" he said before once again sitting down behind his desk to look at his computer. "Hmm..."

Johnny looked to Ash as if to ask what he was doing. Ash smirked. "He's trying to find his songs for the show" she said and Johnny nodded in understanding as he said: "It can't be that difficult for ya,Buster? Oh,by the way,here's a list of my songs" he got a bunch of papers from inside his jacket as Buster looked at him curiously. "How did you find your songs already? I haven't gotten mine straight yet!" he exclaimed as he grabbed the papers Johnny handed him and looked through them before he looked up again with eyes wide. "Eureka! I know what to do!" he exclaimed before looking to Johhny and Ash. "Excuse me guys,I have a few phonecalls to make,please just go to your rehearsal room and get started" Buster told them both before he picked up the phone and started dialing a number.

Not knowing what just happened,Ash and Johnny just looked at each other and shrugged before heading down to their rehearsal room. "What was that all about?" Ash asked. Johnny shrugged before saying: "Dunno.I'm sure we'll know soon though" as he opened the door to their room before hearing a voice behind them saying: "Hey,Johnny!" Johnny turned to see Vinnie catch up to them. "Hey Vinnie,how's it going?" Johnny said,smiling at Vinnie who grinned back. "I'm fine,listen I was just wondering if you guys could help me find some songs for the show? I seriously need help with this" he asked,pleading eyes to the both of them. "Sure,come on in,and we'll see what we can do for ya" Ash said with a smile as she walked in,followed by the two boys.

"So,what was your inspiration to get into this?I'm just asking,you know, I'm just curious as to what is your inspiration to make music?" Ash asked as she sat on her guitar speaker,looking curiously at Vinnie,who looked puzzled. "Inspiration? I don't know if I've ever had any,to be honest,all I know is that I have to make a living somehow,otherwise I'll wind up on the street. However,if you're talking about what kind of artists I'm into,it's mostly old school hiphop and rap,y'know? Like,Fur Pac,Little Bigs, that sorta thing,but we're supposed to look for christmas songs,and that just aint my style"Vinnie said. Johnny spoke up. "You grew up in an orphanage,right?" he asked,getting a nod from Vinnie. "Listen to this,it was one of my favorites when I was younger,I think you might appreciate it" Johnny said as he gave Vinnie a pair of headphones and pressed play on his mp3 player. Vinnie put on the headphones and lit up with a grin as he recognized the song. "I love this song,you think we could cover it?" he asked Johnny, who nodded. "Aye,we could do that,it would certainly make an impact,I'd wager" the young gorilla said with a matching grin,making Ash look at them in confusion. "Care to tell me which song it is?" she asked, a hint of irritation in her voice,but it was enough for Johnny to turn around. "Oh,sorry Ash,I got a bit carried , I'm willing to have this be a collaboration between us,if that's okay?" Johnny said,directing the question to the slightly younger pitbull,who just nodded enthusiastically. Turning back to Ash,he said: "No offence Ash,but I'd like this to be a surprise. However, if you want we could find a song the two of us can do as well,but I'm not sure on just what yet,I need to keep looking,I'm sure my dad has some records at home,but I truly don't think I have the voice for the genre" Johnny said apologetically. "Well,I'll help you search big guy,but for now, I'll go check on Meena,she should be here by now,see you later guys" Ash said as she waved to the two boys on her way out of the room, leaving them to work.

As Ash walked around,looking for Meena,she met Gunther and Rosita,talking about their picks for the show. "Hey guys" Ahs said with a smile, making the two pigs turn around to see her. "Ah,hello Ash,how are you?"Gunther asked with a big smile. "Eh,I'm fine,how about you?Have you guys found your songs yet?" Ash asked. "We were actually just discussing that,but we still haven't reached a final decision on it" Rosita answered. "Cool,hey have any of you seen Meena yet?I wanna see if I can't find a project to include her in" Ash asked. Both pigs shook their heads apologetically,leaving Ash to search for their own songs. Ash shrugged and walked back to her and Johnny's practice room where Johnny and Vinnie were hard at work. "I'm back" she called out as she entered the room,making both animals jump in surprise. "Oh hey Ash,did you find Meena?" Johnny asked. "Nah,I didn't,so I figured I could help you search for our song instead,I think I have an idea,but we might need Riley for this as well,if that's okay?" she asked Johnny,who nodded. "Alright,you go and get Riley,me and Vinnie are more or less done here anyway" the gentle gorilla said as he looked at Vinnie,who nodded. Ash smiled and ran to Riley,Alice and Vinnie's practice room. When she got there,she knocked twice before opening the door,reveiling Riley as he sat by the mirror reading. "Hey Riley.I had an idea of a song that me,you and Johnny could do,I just need to ask you one thing" Ash said. Riley arched an eyebrow. "And that is?" he smirked before opening her mouth. Both of Riley's eyebrows went high as she asked: "How good is your growling?"


End file.
